Wolf and Lost Memories
by kryptofan974
Summary: 16 year old Charles finds a sickly amnesiac wolf girl and takes care of her. After finding out she is an incarnation of a deity, he agrees to help her find her parents and home. 2nd generation ff OCxOC, HoloxLawrence. Rated T to be safe.
1. Wandering

**A/N: A different fan fiction this time!**

**I've been watching a lot of Spice and Wolf lately, since i see it on the FUNimation channel, and a while back, I thought of this story. I started typing this, but then I took a break and started others. Now I finally finished it.**

**This is going to be a 2nd generation fan fiction, since there are none of Spice and Wolf. **

**Trust me, the other chapters are going to get waaaaaaayyy better, so sorry if this one sucks.**

**Spice and Wolf is owned by Isuna Hasekura, Imagin, and FUNimation**

**Enjoy!**

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The song of horses' hooves on the hard-packed earth echoed throughout the small town. Horse-drawn carriages flooded the streets, going about their businesses. The moon was high up in the pitch-black sky, and provided light to the rural town. It was close to midnight, yet the town was as active as it was in the daytime; possibly more so. Citizens went here and there, from different cottages and homes, tending to their business. And though the streets and paths were full of activity, the winter night was peaceful when surrounded by quiet.

One of these figures heading into the town was walking at a slow pace. The person shuffled along the paths, keeping to the side so other people and carts could pass by. One could hardly see the person's face, though you could tell it was a female. She wore a shoddy-looking cloak; it was a faded shade of brown and covered in dirt and stains. She wore no shoes, and as a result, her feet were calloused and covered in horrible blisters. The cloak had a hood, which covered her head. This girl looked down so no one could see her face.

The wind nipped at her skin. Since the cloak was all she wore, the girl shivered from the freezing cold. She clutched both her arms and rubbed them, desperately trying to warm herself up. An intense pain shot through her feet every time she tried to walk. However, nothing hurt more than her stomach; because of lack of money, she hadn't had a full meal in weeks. Or was it months? She shook her head; the girl couldn't even remember anymore.

Just as she set foot into the small town, tiny white flakes started to fall from the dark winter sky. She glanced up, staring at the falling flecks. It was nights like these that made her melancholy; but she couldn't figure out why. The faint memory of snow felt somehow sad and comforting at the same time. Most of her life, she had tried to understand why she felt like this, but never came to a concrete conclusion.

Suddenly, she felt her knees start to give way. She had to hold onto a carriage, which was at a stand-still at the moment, just to get her bearings again. _This is not good at all…my…b-b-body cannot handle much more…_

The girl forgot how long she had been traveling. _I guess my memory is not the sharpest, but you would think I would remember something. _There hadn't been much that the girl remembered currently. It scared her to think that she couldn't remember anything. All of her memories that she recalled were from the time she found herself alone in the woods. With the exception of her name, of course.

A deep rumble erupted from her stomach. It scared her for a minute until she realized what it was.

_I…need something to…eat…or else…I will not be long for this world. _

Not that she wanted to stay in this world much longer anyway. She found that others could be cruel if misunderstood. The girl held her aching head up with her hand as she recalled one time when this happened.

{Flashback}

_She walked into a tavern; a small, little club that only had poor visitors. Peddlers were seen everywhere. The girl had no money, but she wanted to get a job so desperately so she could buy a meal. Just one meal, so that she could rest at ease that night._

_She feebly sauntered up to the bar, rested her frail hands on the counter, and hoarsely whispered, _

"_Sir...do you…" she broke off into a rough coughing fit, but resumed after, "Do you know of any jobs available…in this town?"_

_The grizzly man, who had a small beard and goatee combo, glared at her menacingly, and spat, "Are you even old enough to work?"_

"_I am not sure, sir…but I do know that I am willing to work for anyone…you see, I have no money or food…so-"_

_But she grew silent as she noticed the bartender stayed silent, looking the girl over. She appeared to be about fifteen years old, but he couldn't tell much due to the cloak she wore._

_Finally he grumbled, "No. There are none."_

_The girl looked down, disappointed. _

"_I see"_

_The man then had an unexpected cold-hearted attitude._

"_Now, get outta my tavern!"_

_The girl protested, "But, sir, could you at least give me a small ration of food? Please, sir! I will pay back! I just-"_

_A loud smack was heard as the man's fist collided with the girl's face. She was thrown back onto the tables and chairs, knocking them over all around her. The clatter droned out the fog of babbles in the tavern. _

_After a few seconds of silence, the other members of the inn all gasped and looked on with anticipation. They were eager to see what happened next. The girl, weak as she was, managed to stand up, unbalanced, and face the man._

"_Now, I said it once, and I'll say it again; GET OUT OF MY PUB BEFORE I REALLY HURT YA!"_

_That was enough for the girl. She spun around and sprinted as fast as she could out of the bar, and didn't stop until she was a safe distance away._

{End of Flashback}

It hurt the girl deeply to think that others could be so pitiless to those who dreadfully needed help. Almost everywhere she went; she'd find a horribly ill-tempered person waiting to show her who was boss.

Her view of the world suddenly went double on her. She head whirled to the point of excessive nausea and lightheadedness. Once more, she had to lean on something to stop her from keeling over. Her body became very warm all of a sudden, and her stomach pain increased, making her double over and fall to the ground.

She couldn't hear anything that was going on around her. She couldn't see either, for she shut her eyes so tight to ward of the dizziness. The girl's breathing became rapidly ragged and irregular. Feeling this torture, she wondered if her time on this earth was coming to an end.

Through her fog, however, the sickly girl heard a faint voice in the distance.

"Hey…hey, miss…are you all right?"

The girl opened her eyes slightly to see a woman, kneeling down beside the girl, with her hand on the girl's head.

The woman was a gorgeous young maiden; a bit more or less than 30 years of age. She wore a beige dress with a white hem on the bottom and around the sleeves. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which made her face more present. She had sparkly green eyes, and her cheeks were a dim crimson color.

"Are you all right?" The woman asked again. The girl smiled weakly and murmured,

"Yes…y-yes I am fine…thank you…"

The lady stared at her disbelievingly, but replied with nothing at first. She helped the girl sit up by supporting her back. The girl held her head in her hands when she felt the world around her start spinning again. The woman took account of this and put her hand on the girl's forehead.

"You seem to be spiking a fever. And you're wearing such a thin cloak; you must be freezing!"

The girl abruptly waved her hand dismissively.

"No…I am all right…really…t-thank you for being…concerned…"

The girl struggled to stand up, and it took her all of her strength and will to keep herself from collapsing. However, the plan didn't go so well, and she nearly fell again. But the woman caught her and held her steady.

"You poor thing. You're too weak to even stand up."

The girl let her head fall into the woman's chest. She let out a tiny moan and she shivered. _I am pathetic. I cannot even respond correctly. _

"Come on, dear; I'll take you to my house and get you warmed up."

The girl's heart skipped a beat. _No…I can't… _She couldn't get too close to others; not only for fear of abuse, but for fear that they may find out her secret. Besides, too many people have covered for her already. Another sacrifice would only make her feel worse.

"N-no…I can't…I…I'm sorry!"

She dashed off in an unspecific direction, desperately wanting to find solitude. The lady called after her, "Hey! Wait!"

But no matter how much her heart hurt to leave the nice woman, she kept running until she found a small, dark alleyway between two buildings. Once inside, she stopped, and took the hood off of her head, revealing long, brown hair, but also something you'd never find on a normal girl.

On her head were two brown and black-tipped ears; wolf ears. This was one of her appendages that she did not want the woman to find. That and her beautiful auburn and black tipped tail. Two details that made her a disgrace to everyone who spotted them. The girl felt the pain of embarrassment and loneliness every time she remembered how others would react to her wolf ears and tail. Voices echoed continuously in her head.

…_monster…!_

_Get out of here, you freak…!_

_Why are you back to ruin our land…? Why? Answer me, you beast!_

The last one was the one that confused her more than anything. That was the topic that came up the most often; _'…Come back to ruin the land…"_

She had no idea of what it meant. Yet, it seemed that others were implying something bad happened, and she was to blame. This thing obviously concerned 'the land', but it didn't shed light on anything else. And being in the dark and confused made the girl feel so horrible. Whatever it was that she did, she hurt these people. Tears formed in her eyes at this thought that she harmed others, even though she never intended to.

She felt off balance again, so the girl hung onto one of the walls of one of the houses and held her head in her hand. She seized her arms and rubbed them, trying to warm herself up.

_I need to find some type of shelter…or else I will not last the night…_

Once the wooziness subsided, the girl put her hood over her ears, hid her tail and staggered on off-road. But even though the world stopped spinning in her eyes, her other symptoms got out of control. She felt extremely hot and held her hand to her forehead.

_That woman was right…I do have a fever…and it is getting unbearable…_

Not only was that a problem, but her head pounded with a great intensity, her parched throat burned, fatigue dragged at her bones, and her hunger was now replaced with horrible nausea. Every one of these signs got worse as she trudged on.

Her vision grew foggy rather let out a loud moan, and then she started to search for some shelter.

A small house came into sight; it was brown, lights lit up inside the abode. As if to spite her, the wind picked up and chilled her bones. The small flakes that descended from the dark sky had become heavier and white was beginning to cover the ground. The girl's shivering had become worse, so she sped up her pace and hurried to the small house. She walked up to the door and knocked.

A tall man of about fifty years old opened the door. He looked the girl over and let out a frustrated grunt.

"What do you want?"

The girl couldn't help but feel hurt by the man's tone. She cleared her throat, which did not help anything at all, and asked,

"Sir…p-please…I have no money and no food…a-and I cannot find any place that will take me in-"

"Man, if I had a silver coin for every time I heard that one…" The grumpy man started. The girl, feeling another hurtful sting, continued,

"Please, sir…if it is no trouble…could…could I stay h-here?"

The man shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Sorry. As one would say; there is no room at the inn"

"But…but sir, please!"

"I SAID NO, YOU BITCH!" The man shook his fist threateningly. Scared that she would receive another beating like at the pub a while back, the girl immediately ran off the property and kept running north, until she felt weakness sink in again.

_Well…that did not go well as planned…_

She started to cough roughly, making her body tense up with each cough. The girl put her hand over her mouth and stopped walking until the episode stopped. When she looked down at her hand, little specks of blood decorated her palm. Her heart lurched.

_Oh no…oh no, this…is n-not good…_

Panic flooded through her body, and only made her feel worse. The world was fading out. She was going to pass out if she didn't find shelter soon.

The girl quickly looked around, looking for someplace to stay for a little while. Her eyes caught a tiny, brown shed. She sprinted as fast as her injured feet could take her there. Upon closer inspection, the hut was tinted with green mold in the cracks of the wood. It was definitely weathered, but she didn't care; if it was warm and safe, she didn't care what it looked like.

She opened the squeaky door with a weak hand, and was greeted with a warm breeze. A small lantern hung from a hook on the wall, and gave the small shed a light glow. Nothing was really occupying the shed, except for a big pile of hay and wheat.

Wheat. For some reason, that sparked something inside her. But she had no idea why.

The girl wobbled to the pile and collapsed down on it. Even though the hay and wheat tickled her skin and made her itchy, she settled down into it nonetheless. Darkness was engulfing her again, claiming her consciousness. Her breathing quickened and she lay there twitching and gasping, afraid of her condition.

_Mom…Dad…I am sorry…but I do not think that I will make it…to Yoitsu…_

Tears gently dripped from her eyelids as she finally closed her eyes.

_I am…so sorry…I have failed…_

_

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_

**A/N: AAAANNNND TA-DAH! First chap done! **

**I will not disclose the girl's name until the next chapter or Chapter 3. Sorry X3 you're gonna have to wait!**

**It WILL get better later on, so please stay tuned and Review! thankies!**


	2. Home Life

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!  
sorry for the delay of stories such as "A Little Comfort", "Tainted Souls", and especially "Blood Relations". But the holiday madness is just too crazy. Luckily I managed to finish this sooner than I thought. **

**But I am sorry to say that my Detective Conan/Case Closed fic "Blood Relations" will be put on hiatus for a little while. Sorry but for that fic, I have writer's block.**

**Anywhoo, in this chapter, we meet some new people**

**and Im sorry if I didn't include the girl's name. I promise, next chapter I will**

**Enjoy!**

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"I hope that girl will be all right."

Nora was talking to no one else in particular. Only to herself was she saying that.

She pushed her medium length, light brown bangs away from her eyes. Her black eyelashes were speckled with small flecks of snow, but were dusted off when she blinked. She shivered lightly as a breeze made her dress wave back and forth. Her hair became mildly ruffled from the wind, but she tucked the locks behind her ears to fix the problem.

Her chocolate brown hair had once been blonde in her earlier years of life. And it was very short when she was younger; unlike now, it was long and the ends of the locks settled lightly on her shoulders. Nora was unsure of why it had changed its hue. Perhaps getting older made it change; or stress; or maybe brown was her real natural color, and not a shining sun yellow color that it had originally possessed.

She sighed, keeping the girl that she had just met into her prayers. The poor girl had looked so ill, but she ran off and disappeared before Nora could help her in any way. Even after searching thoroughly through the alleyway, there was absolutely no trace of her at all.

The snow was so beautiful as it fell on the small town, but Nora couldn't help but feel that the girl was all alone in a dark, damp alleyway; suffering from the cold weather, perhaps dying. Nora shook her head, trying not to think of the worst case scenario. _She may be all right, warm and safe somewhere, _Nora thought. _You don't know what happened, so try not to worry about her._

Another breeze forced a small amount of white snowflakes to stick to her hair and dress. She counted her blessings that she was no longer a shepherdess. Staying out in the pastures, wearing a thin coat, tending to the sheep…part of her missed the occupation, but the remaining part was grateful that she never had to tend to such affairs anymore.

_I have to get home soon…Charles will be wondering where I am…_

Nora picked up the pace, her flat-heeled moccasin-like shoes making a soft pattering noise on the pavement. It was later than she normally would arrive home, but she stayed later at work. She needed the money to support her small family of two…well, three, counting her old dog Enekk. Nora and her son, Charles, highly considered Enekk part of the family; he represented more of an older uncle or grandfather than anything else. The years had taken a toll on the dog's energy and strength. Even if Nora was still a shepherdess, Enekk wouldn't have been able to perform the same feats that she used to.

After walking for a short while, Nora's small house came into sight. Just like the other cottages around the vicinity, the home was small and constructed of mahogany brown logs. A small shack stood just about five feet away from her home. It was the old shed they used for tools and objects of the kind.

Nora walked at a slower pace once she set foot on the porch. The door was not locked, since Charles was home, so she just gently pushed the wooden door back with a delicate hand. The hinges creaked a little as she entered and closed the door behind her. Right away, Nora could detect that a fire was blazing in the hearth, and she was proven correct when she moved into the living room and saw the orange and yellow flames crackling away.

"Charles! I'm home!" Nora called.

"In the kitchen!" came the reply. Nora moved to their kitchen, to find a tall boy of age sixteen, hard at work at the stove. He was a thin male, with soft, short, darkish brown hair that seemed as if it was made of cotton. He inherited the hue of his hair from his father, but Nora immediately dismissed the thought of her late husband. Though it was hard not to, seeing that the teenager looked almost exactly like his father. At the young man's feet was a dark gray-and-white dog; Enekk. He had been resting but once Nora came in, he picked his head up drowsily and wagged his plume-like tail.

Charles caught his mother coming in out of the corner of his peripheral vision, and turned to greet her with a smile.

"Welcome home, Mother."

Nora smiled and embraced her son, to which Charles hugged back and murmured, "How was work?"

Nora let go of her son and sighed. "Well, it was the same old thing. Nothing new, really."

Charles nodded as he stirred some contents in a pot. Nora stood next to him and peered over the stove.

"You're cooking?" she asked, smelling the fumes and smiling.

Charles nodded, "I figured you would want to come home to a nice dinner, so I started making dinner earlier tonight."

Nora just simply stared at the pot for a few minutes, not saying anything at all. Charles noticed this almost right away and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Mom…?"

Nora covered her mouth with her hand and Charles felt her begin to tremble. Startled, Charles gently lifted Nora's chin up so he could look at her face more clearly. Although, he had guessed correctly what her face would look like:

Her eyes were glossy as tears started to roll down her pale cheeks. The whole of her face was tinted with red and her nose was the most crimson colored thing there.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Nora looked down so her bangs covered her eyes and shook her head back and forth. She sniffled and took a deep breath.

"It's just…you are working s-so hard…harder than any boy your age s-should…I…I'm just…"

She once more hugged the boy, who once again, hugged back.

"I'm sorry Charles…I w-w-wish…t-that you wouldn't have to work so h-hard…ever since…y-your father…it's just been…so hard-"

"Mom, it's all right" Charles rubbed her back and softly whispered. "You're working hard too, don't forget. I think you're the one who's working too hard. You go to work early and come home late at night."

"Y-yes, but a boy your age…shouldn't be working on the house…boys your age are already becoming merchants and having healthy occupations of the sort. You're social life isn't strong at all, and it's all because…you're working at h-home-"

"Mother, no more of this talk" Charles sternly answered, tightening his grip on Nora. He was on the verge of tears himself; he hated seeing his mother distraught and depressed. It was true; after his father had passed away, things were tough. They had enough money to make ends meet, but sometimes even that wasn't enough.

"Mom, why don't you go lie down for a little while, all right?" Charles suggested, loosening his hold on her and lifting her chin again. She shook her head slowly and muttered tearfully, "I want to help you…with supper…"

"You've worked enough today. I can handle dinner, but if I absolutely need help, I'll call you for it, okay? But other than that, you are not going to help me with the chores. Understand?"

Charles used his thumb to gently wipe away the crystal drops streaming from his mother's beautiful hazel eyes. She stayed quiet for a minute, staring into space, until she sighed and looked down. There was no changing her son's mind.

"All right…but if you need any help, let me know."

And with that, she slowly migrated from the kitchen into the living room, where she settled on an aged, rust colored couch. Nora cleared her eyes from any tears and took a deep breath. From out of the kitchen came Enekk, padding lightly on his worn-out paws. He trekked over to Nora, sat down with a light thump, and stared up at her, smiling and panting as a dog does.

Nora smiled and petted the smooth, dark gray fur on Enekk's head. He was the most loyal dog anyone had ever seen. And even though he was old and out of work, he was a great watchdog for the family. Enekk settled down on the floor and curled up, falling fast asleep. Nora chuckled; he **was** getting old, for he never used to fall asleep that fast.

Charles, while cooking the supper, peeked inside the stove, to which he was greeted by a very warm gush of air. The firewood was almost used up inside the wood stove.

He called over to his mother, "Hey Mom, is the firewood running low in the hearth?"

A few seconds ran by without any noise, but he heard Nora's small voice replying, "A little. Why?"

"Well, only because it's running low here. I may have to chop up some more wood."

Charles walked into the living room and grabbed his gray coat that always hung on a small hook on the mahogany wall. As he inserted his arms inside the sleeves, he told his mother;

"I'm going out to get more wood. I think we have some logs, but I'm not sure if I need to chop them up smaller."

"Is there anything I can do?" Nora stood up and asked. Charles gave her a frustrated look that was mixed with humor.

"What did I tell you? I don't need help with this, Mother. If you want to help me, then just keep any eye on the fire in the stove, all right?"

Nora nodded, smiling and even giggling a little. Charles chuckled, put on his gray hat, and headed out for the old shed in the back of the lot.

The wind wasn't any less or more fierce than it had been a while ago. However, the snow was falling harder now, but not exactly enough to fully cover the ground just yet.

Charles noticed that added with the crunch that his footsteps made on the frozen ground, there was another being padding along behind him. A small look over his shoulder confirmed his guess; Enekk was following the young master.

It didn't take long to reach the shack, since it was planted a short distance away from the house. Charles lightly opened the door and stepped inside. The axe that he needed was probably hanging on the wall, as usual. He found that the lantern hanging on the hook near the entrance was lit, and so, using it to his advantage, he grabbed the metal item and held it up to see the environment around him.

There was a gloomy air to the shed, and everything, with the exception of the light orange glow, was swept in a dark gray shadow. Various items were scattered over the vicinity.

But something didn't sit right with Charles, and as if to confirm his feelings, Enekk stepped inside and immediately his ears pricked up. The sheepdog took a few sniffs with his long nose and started to growl low and menacingly.

Aside from Enekk's growling, there was another noise that was traveling in the air. It sounded low and almost squeaky. Like a rusty old wheel on a wagon that craved some type of silencing lubricant. Charles lightly tiptoed deeper into the shed, ready to spring in defense if he needed to. Enekk copied the same as he followed the young man.

As they ventured deeper into the shed, the noise became louder, until it sounded as if the being was right next to the boy and dog. Charles hoisted the lantern high in the air, and looked around. Something caught Charles' eye almost right away; there was something lying on the stack of hay in a deep corner of the shack.

As Charles got closer, his heart rose even higher. The figure appeared to be wrapped in a shoddy cloak and apparently shivering. And when he was only a few inches away, Charles knew that it was a person lying on the hay, shivering and breathing heavily. He knelt down beside the stack of hay and gently shook the person's shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

No answer.

"Hey, are you okay?"

No answer.

The hood of the cloak was covering the person's face, so Charles delicately moved the hood away from the face, but not fully from the head.

It was a girl that was lying before him. A pale faced, sickly looking girl that had a small trickle of blood pouring from the corner of her mouth. Every breath she took rattled her lungs, from what Charles could hear and she was trembling like mad.

"Miss, can you hear me? Is something wrong?"

This time, though she didn't answer with words, she answered with a series of dry coughs; ones that sound as if she were to hack up one of her lungs.

_Oh no…I…I have to get help…somehow…,_ Charles thought frantically. He stood up, turned sharply, and sprinted out of the shed, calling for Enekk to follow him. The dog obeyed and matched his speed as they headed for the house.

Without as much as a warning, Charles burst into the house, nearly scaring the living daylights out of his mother. Nora stood up abruptly when he entered, fear twinkling in her hazel eyes. Charles stopped suddenly in the middle of the living room and huffed and puffed, waiting to catch his breath before he told his mother; Nora, on the other hand, demanded to know that was going on right away.

"Charles, what's the matter? What happened?" she asked over and over, while Charles held up one hand to signal that he needed a moment. Once he had caught his breath, he took a deep breath and started to explain;

"Mom, I found…a person in the shed…I think she's in need of help…I know I said I wouldn't get you unless I really needed the help…but I have no idea…about what to do…about this…can you help?"

Nora didn't even give the situation a second thought; she hurriedly put on her coat and boots, and headed out, with her son and Enekk traveling close behind. Nora's heart was skipping beats at the thought of someone in need of help so desperately.

Just like her son did when he came into the house, Nora just charged into the shed without stopping, and only paused when she was standing in the middle of the wooden structure. Charles and Enekk stopped close behind and ran ahead of Nora, leading her to the hay stack.

"This way, Mom" Charles whispered, waving his hand as he walked to the dark corner of the shack. Nora followed his call, and realizing that there was in fact a person lying flaccid on the hay stack. Once she knew that there was a being lying there, she picked up the pace until she stood right next to the hay pile.

Charles was correct; the girl was in need of help. She never picked her head up as Nora approached and the only sound she made was her rusty breathing. As Nora knelt down next to the person, she immediately recognized her. She stood still and answered in a shocked tone,

"This is the girl…that I ran into on my way home…" She forgot that she hadn't explained the story to her son, so Charles stared at his mother in confusion. She decided to turn to him and murmur,

"On my way home from work, I ran into a girl…this girl actually…she had collapsed in the street…but she was conscious…I had tried to help her, but she…ran off before I could do anything…"

Nora looked down at the girl and moved the hood away from the girl's face, but it was still covering the rest of her head. In the darkness, her face surprisingly glowed with a white sheen from the lack of pigment. Underneath her eyes lay coal-black bags. Just as when Charles found her, a crimson stream was leaking from her mouth. The girl was lying on her side, with her head tilted upward.

Nora laid her hand on the girl's forehead and instantly recoiled back. The girl's temperature was abnormally high.

"She's burning up!" Nora exclaimed. She turned to her son and muttered,

"Charles, I need you to go into the house and set up my bed, so she can rest in it. And fill up the wash basin with cool water. We need to get her inside before she freezes to death…or succumbs to fever." Nora explained, locking her fearful gaze with Charles'. The young man nodded in agreement, though he didn't fully understand the situation, and ran back to the house, with Enekk trotting at his heels.

Nora watched him go, until she heard the rasping coughing from the girl, and switched her stare back to her. The frail lady's body became racked with horrible spasms, and the coughing made the blood leak from her mouth more rapidly; but it became worse as she started to choke on the blood that traveled back down her throat. Nora frantically used her right hand to rub the girl's back while she maneuvered her left hand to change it so that the girl's head was lying on its side, so the blood would dribble out of her mouth instead of slipping down her throat again.

"Just rest now, dear. You'll be all right soon enough" Nora gently stroked the girl's head through the cloak's hood. She wasn't sure if this girl had heard her at all, but she cooed the phrase nonetheless. And as if on cue, the girl's eyes opened slightly, and she lifted her head a tad. It took the young lady a good while to see through the fog filling her senses, but once it had cleared, she blinked and moaned hoarsely,

"You…y-you're t-that…w-woman…that…I me-"

She was interrupted by a sudden coughing episode; one that was harder and rougher than the last. Nora rubbed the girl's arm gently while the fit ran its course. The episode had ended quicker than the last, to Nora's surprise, and after it was done, the girl whispered roughly again.

"P-please…please…d-do…do not…"

"Shh, dear. Don't talk; save your strength." Nora hushed the girl. But the young lady didn't give up trying to talk.

"Please…d-do not…t-turn me away…please…"

The words struggled to surface when the girl talked, and since it took a great amount of energy to speak, her head sank back onto the hay pile. She let out a dull moan and repeated the phrase, begging and crying. Nora's heart ached, as if someone was tearing it out of her chest, as she watched the poor girl suffering. She hushed the girl again by putting her finger on the girl's lips.

"Don't talk like that. Why would I turn someone away in their time of need? We won't turn you away; we promise. Just hang on, dear. You'll be safe inside."

The girl didn't reply but ceased her crying, which was reduced to low moans. Nora slipped her left arm underneath the girl's neck, repeating the same action with the right arm under the girl's legs. Nora picked the girl up off the hay stack and held her bridal style, and with no struggle, since the girl was so frail from illness. From the action of picking her up, the hood slid off of the rest of the girl's head, revealing the rest of her head to the faint glow of the lantern. And what Nora saw surprised her, but also sparked a small memory in her mind.

The girl had two auburn and black-tipped wolf ears. At the moment, they were pulled back, like when an animal is frightened and cornered. Seeing the ears also made Nora conscious of something else on the girl; a tail. The same color of brown with a slash of black at the end. A wolf's tail.

There was only one person that Nora knew that had the same appendages.

Holo…

"Hey, dear…do you know anyone named…"

But Nora stopped in the middle of her sentence when she noticed that the girl had passed out again.

She just dropped the train of thought and walked toward the house, cradling the girl delicately in her arms.

_Oh please…don't let me be too late…, _Nora prayed as she trudged through the snow and wind, hearing the girl's whistling breaths in crystal clear sound.

_Just hang on, miss. I'll help you…I promise…_

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**A/N: Hope you liked!**

**Next chapter: the girl's name is revealed! But I can't promise that I'll upload ANYTHING by New Years. So sorry about that X3**

**Until next chapter!**


	3. The Girl

**AN: New CHapter!**

**And we finally find out the girl's name! You'll see why later on; its part of the whole plot, really.**

**For those of you who have NOT watched the whole show, and don't know who Nora is, I'll tell you; she was a young sheppardess who protected people on the roads and was belived to have used Paegan witchcraft. She was looking for a better job when she met Holo and Lawrence. From then on, she helped them with a scheme andbecame friends with them. It'll be explained here.**

**I finally got the second manga volume of Spice and Wolf, so now I know that names of the towns and everything. Next, I plan to read the light novel.**

**AND, in this, I used the reference to Chloe in the anime, but NOT Yarei, since I knew the plot with Chloe longer than the plot with Yarei (Chloe replaced Yarei in the anime, but he was in both the light novel and manga)**

**ENJOY!**

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Nora gently laid the girl's delicate body into a small, wooden washbasin, full of lukewarm water. Charles had filled the basin with warm water earlier, when Nora had told him to go inside with Enekk. In that span of time, Nora had taken the strange wolf girl inside and undressed her, getting her ready for the bath. Now, Nora was going to bathe the poor girl while Charles got some things together for her.

Nora carefully laid the young lady's head on the edge of the tub, using a small towel as a cushion underneath her head. The water sloshed quietly as the sick girl's tail swayed inside the tub. Nora turned to her side, picked up a bar of soap and a cloth and started to rub the soap against the fabric. She then took the wolf girl's arm and rubbed it with the cloth, causing the soap to lather and cover the arm. The girl moaned slightly at the feeling and shifted her body a little.

Nora then went from one arm to the other and then graduated to the other parts of the girl's body, making sure that she thoroughly cleaned her. When she got to her feet, Nora was extra careful to not rub so hard against the blisters on the bottom of them. After some time, all that was left to clean was the girl's auburn hair and tail. She took the soap and scrubbed the girl's scalp gently, making sure to clean her wolf ears too. Afterwards, she reached inside the basin and rubbed the girl's tail with soap. Once she was done, she dipped the girl's tail in the water and ran her hands along it a couple of times in order to rid it of soap.

Next, she took a small container next to her, dipped it in the bathwater, and delicately poured it on the girl's soapy body. She repeated this action a few times until all the soap disappeared into the murky gray water. Nora then took a large wooly towel and wrapped it around the girl's body and lifted her up and out of the tub, and set her down gently on the floor.

Nora briskly, but gently dried the girl off with the towel. Once she was dry, Nora wrapped her in a fresh new towel, to avoid the girl getting cold from the wet towel, and carried her into Nora's bedroom, which Charles had tidied up beforehand.

The room wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. Its walls were colored a semi-dark brown from the wood that made up the walls. In the middle small, square room stood a bed, covered by a quilt. The bed was the regular size bed and it was placed against the wall. Next to the bed, on the left side, was a small bureau-like bedside table. The room was lit up by the small but powerful light of a candle, placed on the mahogany-colored bedside table.

Placed on top of the bed were some night-clothes that Nora had prepared to dress the girl in earlier. She set the girl down on the single bed and dressed her carefully. She glanced toward the door, making sure that Charles wouldn't walk in to her changing the strange wolf lady. But since he was watching over supper downstairs, she wouldn't have to worry about him barging in to something embarrassing.

Once the girl was fully dressed, Nora laid her the right way on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Nora felt the girl's forehead and sighed worriedly. Even from the bath, the girl's fever didn't go down in the slightest. She could feel her temperature even before her hand landed on the forehead. Nora brushed the kid's auburn bangs away from her sweat-covered face. The girl moaned in turn and squirmed.

"Don't worry, dear. We're going to contact a doctor. You're going to be just fine. Rest now." Nora once more assured the unconscious girl, just like she did in the shed. The girl quieted down and her breathing went back to sounding ragged.

Nora swiftly got up and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her so to not wake the young lady, and tiptoed downstairs, just to be sure that she didn't wake the girl up.

Down in the kitchen, Charles was standing at the stove, keeping an eye on both the contents on it, and the newly cut firewood burning inside of it. Enekk was at his feet, asleep once more, but perking his ears up every once in a while when Charles would make a move. Nora could smell the dinner cooking and knew that it was close to done. _Perfect timing, _she thought.

"Charles…" she began. Her son looked toward the door at her and smiled, telling her; "Dinner is just about ready."

"That's good, because I need you to do me a big favor. It's very urgent…"

Charles' smiling face turned serious as he waited for the important favor that was needed of his help.

"That girl that I found…she's still very sick..." Nora found her eyes welling up as she continued, "S-she's so feverish…I need you to go into t-town and find a doctor…get Emmanuel…near our sh-sh-shop…he's a really great doctor…j-just…please, Charles…she needs help…"

Nora took a deep breath to compose herself. In desperate times like these, she couldn't afford to start crying. Charles nodded in understanding, turned off the stove, and laid a hand on his mother's shoulder. His glowing smile returned and Nora sighed with relief that he would help. Not that she had doubted her son in the first place; he had a kind heart and would always help those in need. She really didn't have to worry about her son agreeing to help.

Charles tapped Enekk lightly on the head, and the old dog picked his head up sharply in response. Charles grinned and told the dog to follow him.

"We need to go get a doctor for that girl. Come on, boy; let's go."

The dog slowly got up, stretched and yawned at the same time. Nora chuckled at the laziness of her old companion. When they were both younger, Enekk was a bundle of energy, and a great protector. He was still a good watchdog, but since the years had taken a toll on the dog's energy, he wasn't up to running after anything anymore. But as soon as he stopped yawning, he shook his pelt and trotted for the door, while Charles jogged to keep up to his pet.

"I'll be back, Mom!" and with that, he headed out the door with Enekk. Nora waved after them and once they were gone, she turned to gather a few items for the girl; an old rag, a small bowl filled with cold water, and a small glass of cold water. Nora then took these items and headed up the stairs carefully.

_I hope that girl will be all right, _Nora thought. She skillfully opened the door to her room slowly and made her way inside, guided by the candlelight. She set the items down on the bedside table, took the cloth, dipped it in the cold water, and placed it on the girl's hot forehead. The girl fidgeted once the cold cloth made contact with her skin. Nora could see beads of sweat on her face glimmer in the candlelight. The girl's rough breathing pattern was interrupted every once in a while by a small moan of discomfort and pain. Nora set a small wooden chair next to the bed, on the left side, and sat down.

Nora took a deep breath and watched the small girl with worried thoughts running through her head.

_The poor thing…she's so weak…I hope the doctor won't be too late…_

Then, Nora's attention went back to the girl's strange appendages when she saw the girl's wolf ears twitch when she cringed in pain. Nora heard the tail swish underneath the covers.

_She looks so much like Holo…but…_

Nora squinted in the light and looked closely at the girl writhing in the bed.

…_that can't be Holo…_

Nora recalled her friend from the years past; Holo was a young lady that was traveling with a young man named Kraft Lawrence when Nora was still a shepherd. Holo appeared to be the same age as Nora at the time, maybe a little older. She had long, auburn hair and usually wore a hood that covered her head. Lawrence was a man of about 25 years, with gray hair and a small beard.

She remembered that she met the two when they were traveling down a dangerous road. They had heard about wolves and dangerous mercenaries attacking travelers on that road, and Lawrence had asked Nora of her protection services. She was surprised at this, seeing as how everyone, even the church that hired her, believed rumors that she used Paegan witchcraft. So, as a guard, she traveled with them until they made it to Ruvinheigen, the town that she lived in. From there, she went back to her "home" at the church for a while, until Lawrence and Holo confronted her again, this time wanting to know if she would participate in a smuggling scheme.

The gold that Nora would get in her share by being a part of the scheme would help her with her money problems of that time; she would be able to leave her job at the church and if she invested in it, could open up a tailor shop like she had wanted to. So, she agreed to help, and the first part of the operation was a success; however, as they were heading back, not only were some rogue wolves preparing to attack, but Lemario Trading (the company they were teaming up with) decided to betray them and kill Nora. Holo and Lawrence, once they had evaded the wolf attack and caught up to them, had saved Nora from Lemario's men and gave her the gold to give to the company. It was then that Lawrence told of Holo's true secret; that she was a deity that controlled the harvest of wheat. Her usual form was a huge, brown and white wolf; such a state had been seen by both Nora and Lawrence.

She was traveling with Lawrence because she wished to return to her home in the north; to Yoitsu. Lawrence had accepted such a request and since that day, the two were traveling together to reach the north. But, financial problems and conflicts with the church had prevented their travels, so they would stop in each town.

Holo, at first, was wary about Nora, since she believed she practiced Paegan magic and was a dangerous foe. Not to mention that Nora could sense jealousy coming from Holo, but they became friends slowly over time. Once the whole gold smuggling transaction had been completed, they ate dinner with Nora one night, which that night, Holo passed out and took ill. During Holo's recovery, the two patched up the rough relationship quickly and became friends.

Holo was the only person that Nora knew to have wolf ears and a tail and yet possess the appearance of a human. But, Holo looked different that the girl Nora had found. While Holo's ears and tail had white splashes on the ends, the girl Nora had found had black splashes on her ears and tail. Also, the girl had the face of someone else that she knew. When the girl would change her expression, it looked almost similar to Lawrence's face.

_Could she possibly be…?_

Nora shook her head from side to side.

_No…that can't be it…don't assume…_

Nora's thoughts were interrupted by the girl's low and dull moan, one that proclaimed that she was in serious pain. The girl arched her back in horrible pain as another throbbing spasm went through her body. Nora was so startled that she stood straight up and started to panic. _What do I do? What __can__ I do? Charles, I hope you make it back soon…_

"Mama…"

Nora looked at the girl in confusion. The girl had uttered the phrase quietly, but it still rang in the quiet room with a clear sound. And once more, the girl's lips parted, took a small breath and she cried,

"M-mama…Papa…h-help…m-m-me…"

Tears were now slowly sliding down from the girl's eyelids and onto her pale cheeks, and her voice was shaking with misery. Nora's heart ached seeing the small lady in such a state. She took the girl's hand and quietly whispered back,

"Shh. Calm down, honey. It's all right now. You're safe."

The girl threw her head back and howled in pain, as if she was a wounded animal. Nora did not let go of the girl's hand, but instead, gripped it tighter. _She may be hurting internally…_

Staring at the sickly figure of the girl, Nora wondered just how much suffering the girl had been through previously. Her mind instantly went over what she had pleaded in the shack.

"_Please…d-do not…t-turn me away…please…"_

Nora thought about this for a while, her heart aching with the idea that the girl had been wandering sick for a long time, without any family to turn to. _I wonder if her mother is looking for her as well…_, Nora thought.

Louder cries came from the girl and her breathing became faster. Sweat poured down her face. Nora could definitely tell that the young lady was dreaming; a nightmare, from the look of it. Nora took a deep breath and gently soothed the girl once more with her words.

"Dear…it's all right. It's just a bad dream. All you have to do is wake up…come on, hon."

As if on cue, her moaning stopped. The girl's eyes started to flutter, closed at first, but then she slowly opened them a little bit. Her wolf ears twitched and Nora could hear her tail move a little. The girl's eyes were a very vivid hue of red, although they were dull now from sickness and exhaustion. Nora looked at the girl's eyes; Holo's were also the color of red.

The young wolf girl turned her head to its side, and then to the other, taking in her surroundings. She didn't ask any questions at first, but it was obvious that she was confused. She blinked a few times to try and rid her vision of the fog that clouded it.

Then, her apple-red gaze rested on Nora. She locked eyes with the young girl for a little while, unsure if the girl was going to react in any way. But after a few minutes of silence, with the exception of her ragged breathing, the wolf girl's eyes widened and she cleared her throat as best she could to talk.

"You…you are t-that woman…t-that I m-m-met in town…" she whispered, her voice barely audible, despite her trying to clear it; this time she had managed to finish the sentence, unlike when she was in the shed. Nora smiled and nodded. The girl glanced around the room once more, and then her wolf ears pricked up and bristled in uprising panic.

"Wh-where am I? What happened?" The girl desperately tried to sit up, but her body was so worn out that she instead plopped back down on the bed, groaning in pain.

Nora sat down on the edge of the bed and went to put her hand on the girl's shoulder, but, just as a cornered animal would do, she shrunk back, trying to avoid the hand. Nora heard the girl growl a little, but not in a full threat.

"Please don't be afraid. I'm only here to help. I'm not going to hurt you" Nora assured. At first, the girl didn't change her position. Her body was almost curled up near the head of the bed, her teeth bared, and her ears bent back. It took a few minutes to sink in, but the girl realized that the woman meant no harm, and tried to get up out of the bed again. It failed once more, but the motion made her head spin rapidly and a cold chill swept through her body. She fell back onto the bed and clutched her arms, shivering and coughing hard. Nora once more covered her with the blankets and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder; the girl did not recoil back this time.

"Don't strain yourself. My son is contacting a doctor as we speak. You're going to be fine."

"D…doc…tor?" the girl repeated, utterly confused and suddenly exhausted. Nora started to stroke the girl's hair.

"Yes, honey. You're very sick. And you need some help before you get any worse."

The girl took in all the information that Nora explained to her, and once she was done, the wolf girl's eyes widened again, to the size of plates, and her ear fur stood on end. She managed to sit up shakily, but she knew her strength would not hold out.

"Oh…n-no…I cannot…I…I…" The girl covered her face with her hands, murmuring in despair. Either from cold or fear, the girl's frail body trembled even more than before, and small cries leaked from her parched throat. Nora was now more inwardly concerned than she was before. She didn't know what had made the young lady so distraught. _Whatever it is, it must be important…_

"Please, do not let any doctor s-see m-m-me…t-they c-can't see my-"

The girl stopped and abruptly sat up straight, though her strength and consciousness were on the verge of slipping from her grasp. Her eyes stared directly at the door, and Nora glanced back to it to see if she saw something disturbing, but found she was just staring off into space. The girl slowly brought her hands up to the top of her head, and she felt around it until her fingers came in contact with her wolf ears. Her thin digits fiddled with her wolf ears for a minute, as if she was checking that they were real. She then glanced back to her rear, and found that her big, furry wolf tail was sticking out from her pants, since Nora had cut a hole in the pants for the tail to stick out of.

And as if someone suddenly mocked her ears and tail, she jolted and desperately tried to cover up both her ears and her tail from Nora. However, Nora just kept gazing at the girl, her expression showing that she had already seen the abnormal appendages. The young lady stopped trying to cover up her ears and tail and just simply gazed into Nora's eyes, before her own started to tear up rapidly.

The girl once more started to withdraw, and she wriggled in her spot on the bed, trying to inch away little by little, but to no avail. By then, hot tears were dripping from her beautiful crimson eyes, and she started to whimper loudly.

"Oh…n-no…no…no…"

Another coughing episode came upon her, and started to take its toll on her strength. She wheezed and choked, covering her mouth with her hand. She pulled her hand away, looked down, and, just like before, blood was splattered a little on it. The girl suddenly felt faint and she fell down on her back onto the bed. She curled up under the covers, though she still quivered like a small tree in a terrible storm. Nora felt the girl's forehead and bit her bottom lip when she felt that it hadn't improved; rather it had gotten worse. Nora turned to the bedside table, took the cup of water, and handed it to the girl.

"Take a drink; it'll help a little with your throat and coughing."

The girl held her shaking hands up and clutched the cup weakly, held it up to her dry lips and took a swig of the freezing water. She shivered as she swallowed it and felt it travel down her body. Nora then took the cup and placed it back on its spot. Then, she took the raggedy gray cloth, dipped it in the bowl of water, and placed it on the girl's forehead once again. The girl glanced up at it in confusion, wondering why the lady had placed a cold cloth on her forehead, but her inquiry was answered when Nora spoke again.

"There. That should bring your fever down." Nora sat back down on the wooden chair and grinned at the girl, even though her eyes glimmered with a serious expression. "You need to rest up; we don't want this to get worse, okay?"

The girl looked at Nora, and more tears leaked from her eyelids.

"You…you have seen…m-my…ears and t-t-tail…I assume…?"

Nora's smile quickly ran away at the question. She stared at the young girl for a while until the girl's wolf ears twitched with impatience. Nora sighed.

"Yes…"

The girl inhaled sharply and clutched the covers in her hands tightly. As if she was cornered once again, her wolf ears bent back and she looked away from Nora. Her voice was hoarse as she requested;

"D…Do not…let them t-turn me in…t-to the church…please…i-if they discover m-my wolf ears and tail…I…I am as g-good as dead…"

Her body trembled ferociously as she continued to speak in a rusty tone. Nora leaned back in her chair, pondering the request for a little while.

…_the church…_

Her mind flashed back to Holo and Lawrence. The church was a constant enemy of the Wise Wolf; when she had made her promise to the citizens of Pasloe to keep the harvests rich, she was the only god worshipped. But after she met Lawrence, and traveled around, she soon found that there was a new religion, and a new god, taking her place. Instead, they were believing in a monotheistic religion; where one god supposedly created everything and watched over the world. Holo believed this to be ridiculous, but since she was gone for so long, the religion had become vastly popular.

Since they no longer believed in her, she thought that it would be easier to leave; however, when they made their way to the town of Pazzio, and started to get involved with both the Milone and Medio Trading Companies, a young woman named Chloe, who was Lawrence's friend from Pasloe, had decided to capture Holo and hand her over to the church. The church would believe that Holo was only a confused, demon-possessed girl, and they would burn her at the stake.

Holo had explained of these adventures to Nora when they started to become friends. And the Wise Wolf had uttered these with a most frightened tone of voice and a bit of bitter hatred. If the church was an obstacle for Holo, who had actually known of their motives, then Nora felt it must've been a total panic for this wolf girl sitting before her, who didn't seem to know why they were after her.

_If they find her…then they'll burn her for sure…I can't let that happen…_

Nora slowly smiled and embraced the crying girl, speaking in a smooth tone to calm her down.

"I won't let them get you; I promise…"

The girl was still in shock from the hug she had received, but after a few seconds, she relaxed in Nora's arms, shaking from both fear and fever. To the girl, Nora felt warm and she sounded friendly as well. The young lady wrapped her arms around Nora and let the fur on her tail settle.

_This woman…seems very kind…different than the others…that I have encountered…_

But the silence was quickly broken when the girl coughed again, this time it sounded more bronchial than before. Nora let go of the girl and rubbed her back as the coughing episode continued. A large, shaky sigh from the girl let Nora know that she was done coughing, so Nora laid her back down on the bed and covered her.

"You won't need to worry about the doctor keeping your secret," Nora told the girl, still feeling an uneasy vibe from her. "He's a good friend of mine; Emmanuel Smith. He'll keep your secret, all right? So don't worry about it."

The girl stayed silent, but nodded, not totally convinced but enough to let her settle down. Nora sat back down in the chair and patted the girl's clammy hand.

"Now, I have a question for you…"

The girl's wolf ears perked up in curiosity.

"What is your name?"

The girl blinked a few times, before she uttered one word.

"Yoitsu"

Nora leaned back a little in confusion.

"Yoitsu? But isn't that the name…of the village, way up North?"

The girl closed her eyes and answered, "From what others tell me, yes. Though before, I had never heard of this village…at least I do not think I have…"

"Were you named after the village?"

The girl flinched.

"I do not know…"

Nora stayed silent for a few minutes; but then she awkwardly asked another question.

"What happened that made you so ill?"

This time, Nora received an expression of pure depression and misery. The girl turned her head away and muttered,

"I do not know…"

"Well, where are you from? Are your mother and father nearby?"

"I…I…" Yoitsu stuttered, feeling tears once more form in her crimson-red eyes. Her voice shook with emotion, but she forced herself to remain calm. She took a deep breath and turned her head back to Nora, not even caring that a few tears trickled down her cheeks.

"What the matter, honey?" Nora asked, wiping the tears away from her eyes. Yoitsu sniffled and then murmured,

"I cannot remember anything…"

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**AN: HOPE YOU LIKED! Stay tuned because it gets better! **

**Arigatou and Sayonara!**

**~Lizard-chan**


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